Around the house* When stuffing poultry, use special care...

Checklist

November 20, 1993|By Dolly Merritt

Around the house

* When stuffing poultry, use special care. Bacteria from raw poultry can grow in the stuffing and it is safer to cook as a separate dish. If you are going to stuff a turkey or chicken, fill the cavity loosely -- no more than 2/3 full -- immediately before cooking. Remove dressing immediately after cooking.

* If you use whole garlic cloves for marinating or cooking various foods, try skewering cloves with a toothpick. When dish is ready to serve, you can find garlic more easily and toss clove and toothpick away.

* Use candy molds for freezing ice cubes for the holidays. Molds come in a variety of shapes, including pumpkins, wreaths, stars and hearts.

* Perk up your home's holiday smells with homemade potpourri. Save peels from apples and oranges that can be used for a salad. Place peels on a baking sheet and bake at 200 degrees for 4 to 5 hours (until dry). Mix dry peels with whole cinnamon and nutmeg cloves and crushed cinnamon sticks. Either wrap in netting that has been secured by ribbons into a ball that may be hung. Or, fill a container and place in the room you use most.

In the garden

* Wear soft cotton gloves to dust off leaves of houseplants. Carefully hold back of leaf with one hand while the other gently rubs off the dust. Clean plants will absorb light more readily.